Tag Archives: Chompie’s

October is anti-bullying month and Chompie’s, Arizona’s New York Deli, is doing its part to help keep recess yards at Phoenix area schools safe. On October 24th, Chompie’s presented a check to Playworks Arizona totaling $11,282 through its “Chompie’s Cares” program.

Playworks Arizona is a non-profit organization that transforms recess by placing full time coaches at schools to teach the kids how to play together, resolve conflicts through rock-paper-scissors, and how to be inclusive. The results are amazing, as bullying decreases, students feel safer and healthier, and students return to class ready to learn.

This past March, Chompie’s and Playworks collaborated to create a new kids menu for Chompie’s that helps teach kids how to solve conflicts and promote inclusion within schools and on the recess yard. For every kids meal purchased from the new kids menu, as well as for every Chompie’s brand water bottle sold at the restaurant and deli, Chompie’s makes a donation to Playworks to help schools run much needed programs that teach kids to be inclusive and boost self-confidence.

The first donation from kids meal purchases and water bottles equaled $11,282. Additional donations from Chompie’s will be made at regular intervals based on future purchases from the kids menu and water bottles.

The interactive and educational kids menu at Chompie’s offers 19 different breakfast, lunch and dinner kids meals and introduces a new gluten-free friendly section with menu items such as waffles, macaroni and cheese and flatbread cheese pizza. The regular kids meals include all-time favorites like chicken fingers, French toast and cheeseburgers, plus a selection of sliders. The new menu also includes fun interactive learning games that teach sharing, inclusion and conflict resolution.

“This partnership with Chompie’s is the first of its kind in the nation for our organization,” said Chuck Warshaver, Executive Director of Playworks Arizona. “Chompie’s not only is making a donation for each kids meal purchased, but they allowed us to help design the menus to include games and activities focused on our core values of inclusion. We couldn’t ask for a more effective partnership to talk to kids and parents to help reduce bullying, increase teaching time and increase physical activity in our schools.”

“We visited some of the schools using the Playworks program and were overwhelmed by the response from principals, teachers and students as to how successful the program is at reducing bullying and increasing teaching time for teachers thanks to fewer students being sent to the office for bad behavior and how the transition from recess to class time dramatically improved,” said Neal Borenstein, owner of Chompie’s. “We sought to create a new kids menu that encompassed the core values that Playworks teaches on the recess yard, and based on early responses from our guests we know we succeeded. We’re very proud of this partnership and our ability to make this donation to Playworks Arizona to reduce bullying in schools.”

A survey of teachers and administrators from the seven Phoenix area schools that participated in the program during the 2012-2013 academic school year credit Playworks Arizona for:

· A 90% reduction in disciplinary incidents
· A 68% increase in academic success
· A 95% improvement in overall school climate
· 16 hours of recovered teaching time